Ceylon Today Editorial

MODI UNLEASHES WHEEL OF SYNERGIES

14 May 2017

Just as an aside as it were, the extremely warm personal welcome accorded to Indian Premier Narendra Modi by Lankan Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Bandaranaike International Airport for his May 11-12 visit to Sri Lanka was in huge contrast to the welcome that Wickremesinghe received when he arrived on his five-day visit to India at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on 25 April. The Lankan PM only had the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjit Singh and the Lankan envoy in Delhi Chitrani Wagiswara to welcome him on arrival there, besides a few Indian 'dignitaries'. Did we miss something here between the lines?

Then again, having tarred India black and the RAW in particular, black and blue, for his electoral defeat on 8 January 2015, Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa and supposedly brother Gotabhaya and a couple more have an hour's cordial 'chat' with Modi at the Indian HC's residence. MR is on record as having said he admired Modi. What a peculiarly opportunistic game this thing called politics can be. What we miss is always in invisible writing between the lines. No wonder then that some contend that politics and patriotism are the last resorts of the scoundrel...whatever that might mean or suggest! But we're not talking of scoundrels here.

We're talking about leaders past and present of high integrity. Right? Made of solid political and spiritual moral fibre et al. Right?

OK. No argument. Just wondering aloud with fleeting thoughts does no serious harm to anyone. Right? Why? It's because one can trust a politician to be quite capable of doing that himself without anyone's help. Meanwhile, the ingratiating smiles turned on at numerous visits, the warm hugs and handshakes, they're all part of this charade we call politics. The real smiles and warm hugs are for special occasion and special transiently convenient 'friends'. No permanent friend or enemy in war and politics as they say!

Anyway, dealing with what we call transient realities, Indian Premier Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka and in particular his visit to Dickoya to declare open the India funded Hatton-Dickoya Hospital, and his interaction with the tremendous number of plantation Tamils who turned up to see him, was an eye opener. With some estimates running to a lakh, the crowd that was undeniably massive, suggested that a leader as charismatic as Modi could wield tremendous influence on the Tamils not just in the North and East but in the central highlands and in the South as well. That's something that President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe would have taken good note of. One wonders who or what motivated the very handsome benefits Sri Lanka received from Modi's India. How will the largesse from his visit to the plantation Tamils affect voting at future polls to which at least 20,000 of them living in 10,000 new homes gifted by Modi will be going? Or will Tamil candidates in the UNP harness most of those goodwill votes? President Sirisena, whose personal invitation brought Modi here with an abundance of assistance in several forms, will no doubt market this at the next elections in the plantation sector. Meanwhile, the rapport forged with Lanka's top Buddhist clergy will be of use to blunt any opposition to Indian plans to extend her footprints in the North, East and in Colombo too according to what we've very recently heard.

As no other world leader can do, any Indian leader can exploit the deeply rooted ethno-religious bloodlines shared by India and Sri Lanka, which though not at all times, still prove to have a dormant and powerful emotional clout that can be influenced to change the complexion at elections in favour of the southern political party or coalition that is willing to help India secure her security, including Kashmir border security and Indian Ocean security, and economic interests. As the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay tweeted, Modi brought alive this dormant 'legacy of cultural, religious and linguistic synergies'. He also unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit and the laying of the foundation stone for the Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy in Pallekele constructed on an Indian grant at Modi's behest.

Modi's visit to the Gangaramaya and the Sri Dalada Maligawa witnessed an unexpected depth of obviously genuine warmth from Sri Lanka's top Buddhist prelates. His announcement that direct Varanasi-Colombo flights would begin in July would have warmed the hearts of our Buddhist clergy and devotees. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is Modi's electorate, a city on the banks of the Ganges where the Buddha founded Buddhism around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon on 'The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma' that India has adopted as one of its State symbols.

Modi has set in motion a wheel that China will find very hard to match.

The Nation

Who are VIPs?

14 May 2017

The beauty of democracy is that the people have the power to elect who they want. They decide on who is sent to Parliament and to the local bodies.

No wonder these politicians exhaust themselves to get into the good books of the people. Politicians are representatives of the people. Whether they are in parliament, provincial councils, or any local body, their main objective is to represent the people and to address their issues in whatever ways they can.

But does that happen? For five years, the people are left with no option but to live with who they have elected. Then comes the next five years, and more often than not, the story is the same.

We do come across reports of politicians filling up their pockets and leading lavish lifestyles while ignoring the people.

This should not be so. Unfortunately, this is the reality. But then again, there are those politicians who genuinely work for the people. But they can be hand- picked. We need more.

Politicians do come in search of the people in order to obtain votes. But on most occasions, you generally do not see him or her until there is an election round the corner. Those are the days when voters are placed on a higher pedestal. Recently, the authorities in estate sector removed thousands of wasp nets ahead of the visit of Indian Premier Narendra Modi.

It is a good thing, no doubt. But there have been many wasp attacks in the region on people, and no one actually took the matter seriously.

This is just a small example. Thousands of people complain to the government and the local authorities of the shortcomings in their respective districts and villages. How many of them are addressed?

It is unfortunate that the people get good things, only when VIPs arrive, or when there is an election around the corner.

How many times have we witnessed price reductions of essentials in the run up to major elections? Why couldn’t they do it before?

There are bad roads, and there are broken bridges in many parts of the country placing the people in very difficult situations. Why can’t they be repaired?

Yes, you need to protect the VIPs from wasps and all sorts of possible threats. But what about those made them VIPs?

You do not have to scream your lungs out at every political campaigns right before the polls if you have done your part for the people over the past five years.

Sunday Times Editorial

Laws based on the Buddha Dharma

14 May 2017

Buddha Jayanthi 2561 is just concluded and so too today, in the historic city of Kandy will the 11th UN Vesak Day — the first to be held in Sri Lanka since its Christian-born then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar spearheaded Resolution 54/15 at the General Assembly of the world body — have its grand finale.

It was apt that it was the Indian Prime Minister and the Nepali President who were invited as chief guests for the celebrations this week. India and Nepal though predominantly Hindu secular states, their hallowed lands deeply entrenched in Buddhism sanctified by the touch of the feet of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later Gautama the Buddha and their national ethos inextricably intertwined with his life, times and teachings in the 6th century BC.

It was Emperor Ashoka who re-introduced Buddhism to this vast sub-continent. While the Buddha had disciples, Ashoka controlled vast provinces and the Emperor’s edicts had to be followed. Like the Buddha, he also traversed the land on his moral mission. He was careful not to completely change the old culture of Brahmanical Hindus and introduced the Buddhist Dharma as the basis for social justice.

All of Asia — spanning from present-day Afghanistan to Japan imbibed this Dharmishta Rule based on Buddhist values. About this time, Constantine, the Roman Emperor espoused the relatively new religion of Christianity in Europe. Both Ashoka and Constantine transformed imperial states into sacred states.

As Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe explained this week on a TV programme, Europe began to enact different sets of laws based on what Aristotle, Plato and the like-minded philosophers propounded. With the colonisation of Asia by European states, these laws found their way to the conquered world displacing the indigenous laws based on the Dharma.

Today, despite de-colonisation, the West dominates the Rule of Law based on European concepts through International Covenants and the United Nations, many of which still have their origins in Buddhist principles as Judge Christy Weeramantry has succinctly written of.
It is, therefore, relevant that a UN Day of Vesak should review these historical facts and move Asia at least, towards laws that are more homogeneous to the way of life of Asia’s peoples.

Premier Narendra Modi spoke expansively on the subject of Buddhist values on Friday, here in Colombo though he drifted towards economic and trade issues with Sri Lanka which raised fears that he was engaging in ‘soft diplomacy’, the trend in fashioning foreign policy nowadays.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a Buddhist as Law Minister drew up India’s Constitution in 1947, and the newly independent nation wishing to project the Ashokan image of non-violence and peaceful co-existence with its neighbours adopted the Ashokan Dharma column as the Great Seal of the Union.

It is to be seen if the current Modi dispensation in India, breaks away from its recent historical misadventures by abandoning those Ashokan principles and returns to the ‘moral grandeur of its past’, providing the vocal leadership for the region which India’s great poet Rabindranath Tagore once referred to. And what if he fails? Tagore himself said of India; “If in this thy great heart fails, bring me thy failure”.

The 24-hour Modi visit passed without a glitch as a nation bitter with the memories of recent events watched in the hope of a brighter future, as Sri Lanka welcomes the Nepali President to draw the final curtain on the UN International Vesak Day celebrations today.

Merits of the blank ballot

 

Much as one might like the thought of the Ashokan principles based on the Dharma guiding the destinies of our people, we live in the present and our laws remain largely European based. The recent French Presidential election concluded last Sunday drew worldwide attention for more reasons than one, and may have a few lessons for us.

Sri Lanka’s Constitution is framed largely on the French model of an Executive Presidency, a subject that is hotly in issue at the moment. France goes to the polls again next month to elect a new Parliament, which the President will have to work with.

While France seems to think its model works, Sri Lankans are less convinced of its efficacy here ever since it was first introduced – almost four decades ago, in 1978.

While France’s new President ostensibly won a huge 65-35 percent majority over his rival in the final count, he received only 24 percent of the vote in the first round of voting, forcing a second and final round. (This has not happened in Sri Lanka so far.) One of the widely analysed facets of the final round of polling in France last Sunday has been that 25 percent of the voters absented themselves from voting and another 8.8 percent put blank ballot papers in the ballot box totalling one-third of the French electorate that either did not vote or cast a ‘blank ballot’.

A blank ballot is also a French novelty, but Sri Lanka did not adopt that mechanism in its Constitution in 1978 or Election Laws nor in any of the Amendments thereto.

At a time when Sri Lanka’s Constitution and its Election Laws are under scrutiny with a view to either amending them, or introducing new ones, this progressive French example that gives the voter a greater opportunity of expressing his or her view at an election merits consideration.
In Sri Lanka, there is a category of ‘spoilt votes’. This can be both, votes cast where the voter unintentionally marks a choice wrongfully, or those who go to the booth and scribble some gibberish deliberately spoiling their vote as a protest. In the end one does not know how many were intentionally, or unintentionally spoiled.

The French ‘blank ballot’ is an opportunity given to a voter the choice to intentionally express what would amount to a rejection of the candidates he or she is presented with by political parties. Often, it can be Hobson’s Choice for voters, and this is a conscious decision afforded to the voter to reject the candidates on offer, which is reflected in the final count.

With a world-wide trend of voters rejecting traditional politics and politicians, those drafting changes to the Sri Lankan Constitution and its Election Laws might want to mull over this provision in France and replicate it here. The ‘blank ballot’ option gives a clearer indication of the pulse of the people. Whether the political leadership of this country would have what it takes and want to chance introducing such legislation here is, however, very unlikely.

Sunday Observer Editorial

Premier Modi’s visit

14 May 2017

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief formal visit to Sri Lanka last week was his second in two years, and follows several official visits by Indian ministers and senior Indian officials over the past two years. Similarly, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have visited Delhi and other Indian centres several times over the past two years.

Such Indo-Sri Lankan exchanges since the inception of the National Unity Alliance coalition government have been many, with not only several ministers and senior officials leading delegations to various Indian centres, but private sector delegations also crossing the Palk Strait in search of fruitful new opportunities and advantageous Sub-Continental connections.

This renewed interaction between little Sri Lanka and giant neighbour, India, comes after the bizarre estrangement between these two closest of neighbours during the previous Rajapaksa regime - a diplomatic anomaly typical of the ultra-nationalist posturing of a dictatorial regime that sought to violently crush all opposition, whether ethnic minorities or political dissenters and opposition parties. Whipping up ethno-nationalist fervour was concomitant with fear of the foreign, fears also stirred by social discourses highlighting foreign impositions rather than the many benign influences that have been the bedrock of our island civilization.

Shri Modi, himself, embodies some of the cultural affinities of both countries, namely, a religious piety that appreciates and values all the various branches of the ancient sub–continental spirituality. At the same time, his roots are in provincial rusticity and not the anglicized elite, an attribute that resonates with popular cultural chords here.

This second visit focused solely on the cultural and social with Shri Modi’s primary activity being officiating as Chief Guest at the International Vesak Celebration of the UN, hosted this year by Sri Lanka.

Thus, it was to the temple that the Indian leader first went on his arrival to worship the Buddha and be blessed by the Sangha. Then, the Indian leader officiated at the festive inauguration of the International Vesak celebrations, a mix of solemn observances and celebratory cultural splendour.

The Indian media highlighted their Premier’s visit here noting the importance of Indo-Sri Lankan ties for regional stability.

Indeed, those who waited to whip up xenophobia had little to chew on since there were no whirlwind signing of deals unlike the frenzy of deal-making, much of it secretive, that was the hallmark of diplomatic exercises during the previous regime.

Since this government is bound by its commitment to transparency and good governance, not only are bilateral arrangements being done with openness and wide participation of stakeholders, but also with some slowness due to serious attention being paid to issues and their complexity.

The Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) sought by both countries is intended to be as comprehensive as necessary for an arrangement between two very closely related nations with a multitude of linkages and interactions. Indeed, major stakeholders in both countries, ranging from business investors to export-import traders, to the tourism industry, and, to the education and health sectors, among others, are eagerly waiting for the finalization of ETCA so that bilateral collaborations can be mutually supportive in the intensely competitive global economy.

If the business angle is obvious, the social and cultural angles are numerous and the opportunities as exciting.

Premier Modi’s promise that the free public ambulance service introduced here with Indian support would be expanded island wide will be appreciated by all Sri Lankans, especially, the vast majority of the population living in the provinces who cannot benefit from private ambulance services. After all, our indigenous system of medicine also derives from the greater ancient, Ayurvedic traditions of the Sub-continent. Even as Indian and Sri Lankan patients now cross the Strait in search of treatment and health care, ETCA and other collaborative arrangements will further expand such mutually beneficial exchanges.

The destination of the largest number of Sri Lankan travellers overseas is already the Sub-continent and has always been so since the dawn of humanity in this region, thanks to our geographical proximity. ETCA will enable the development of this into a well organized industry that will benefit travellers of all kinds, from pilgrims to tourists to students and sporting teams.

After his attendance at various religious events in Colombo, and formal meetings with national leaders - including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa - the Indian Premier then attended a social development event of the hill country community as a community with the most recent social relationship with India.

In all, this visit symbolizes the deep interrelationship between the two countries where no single visit can encapsulate all aspects of the bilateral linkage.

With such cultural and social affinities affirmed, it is now time to complete the details of the larger relationship. ETCA, energy sharing, fisheries, regional ecological sustainability, ethnic peace and cross-border security all await more hard work and cooperation among all stakeholders.

Sunday Island Editorial

Successful Modi visit

14 May 2017

 

It has been axiomatic that good relations with India must be the cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. This necessity has been largely observed during the post-Independence period, admittedly with some serious aberrations particularly during the war years. Relations were badly damaged when India, no doubt influenced by sub-regional concerns in Tamil Nadu and the demands of realpolitik, permitted the LTTE to train, base and stage from Indian territory during the early days of the civil war that wracked this country for nearly 30 years. Then India with its infamous parippu drop over Sri Lanka’s north weeks before the Rajiv-JR Indo-Lanka Agreement of 1987, prevented the Tigers being defeated at Vadamarachchi and indeed forced the agreement itself. Later, relations between the Premadasa government and India were strained due to the Sri Lankan president’s insistence that the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), here under the Indo-Lanka Agreement, must withdraw.

During the Sirima Bandaranaike years too there was a problem despite the special relationship between Mrs. Bandaranaike and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Mrs. B’s United Front Government during the Bangladesh war of 1971 surprisingly permitted technical stopovers at Katunayake to Pakistan Air Force flights denied entry into Indian air space while flying from West Pakistan to the East which eventually became Bangladesh. India’s unhappiness about this was palpable, but with Pakistan defeated and Bangladesh created, the Sirima – Indira relationship remained intact. But for the much greater part of Sri Lanka’s contemporary post-Independence history, relations with India were good primarily because Sri Lanka, at least tacitly, accepted India’s role as the regional power. We did not always totally fall in line with India’s wishes such as when the JRJ government permitted the Voice of America to set up a radio transmission station at Iranawila along the Western coast. But the broad brush canvas is that relations have been cordial without Sri Lanka ever becoming a client state of India. Incontrovertibly, India’s ongoing development thrust is offering Sri Lanka economic opportunities in many areas.

The Modi visit was undoubtedly a success with the visiting prime minister, despite his 66-years, shown on television sprightly bounding up the aircraft boarding ramp when he left on Friday evening demonstrating his physical fitness. Visiting dignitaries often interact with opposition personalities but the fact that the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa requested a meeting with the Indian prime minister came as a surprise in the context of Joint Opposition (JO) frontliner Wimal Weerawansa calling for a black flag protest over the visit. Neither the Indians nor the JO were forthcoming on the substance of the conversation between Modi and the Rajapaksas beyond saying that the 40-minute meeting at India House had been cordial. It wasn’t long ago that the JO had been freely alleging that India had a hand in the regime change in Sri Lanka two years ago. In fact, an Indian journalist who interviewed Rajapaksa recently pointedly put this question to him. The former president deftly fended her off saying there is no point in dwelling on the past; what we must do is focus on the present and the future, he said. That story had wide play in India.

Some analysts would surely have wondered whether Colombo leaked the news about the Chinese being refused a submarine docking in Sri Lanka, timing the story for the Modi visit to score brownie points with India. But well informed sources say this was not the case. After the story about the docking being denied broke, Reuters reported from Beijing that China’s Defence Ministry, in a statement sent to the news agency, did not directly mention the denial of the request but had said that in recent years, the Chinese and Sri Lankan militaries have had fruitful and effective cooperation in areas like mutual visits and training. It had said such cooperation "is beneficial to regional peace and stability and not aimed at any third party and should not be interfered in by a third party." The ‘third party’ reference was obviously to India; equally obviously, Colombo’s denial of the submarine docking, last permitted in October 2014, was due to India’s unhappiness over the previous event. Sri Lanka has been quite open about the fact that the refusal was due to India’s concerns.

Contrary to what was said in some published reports, Prime Minister Modi did not "open" a new hospital at Dickoya. The plaque unveiled on this occasion made clear that this Indian-gifted hospital was dedicated by him. It had been completed and handed over to the Sri Lankan authorities in 2014 but had been only part-running since then due to equipment issues. Given that Modi was visiting Sri Lanka, and would welcome an opportunity of meeting of people of recent Indian descent upcountry, it had been decided that he would make the dedication and address the meeting that attracted a large crowd. Always the consummate politician, Modi who does not speak Tamil had worked hard on a few Tamil sentences to begin his speech, much to the delight of his audience, before switching to English. He said all the right things on this occasion although some carping critics have argued that any public meeting he had should have addressed a cross-section of the country’s population rather than exclusively people of Indian descent.

It was clear from the visit that India is keen on strengthening bilateral relations that are now excellent and is perceptive about the concerns and desires of the host. Agreeing to come here as chief guest for the UN’s International Vesak Day celebration was a generous gesture giving the event more weight and prestige than it would have otherwise attracted. This was of immense benefit to Sri Lanka. The occasion had great visibility in India and also elsewhere in the Buddhist world. In the context of domestic politics here, Indian diplomats were at pains to stress that the visit was purely Vesak related and no substantive issues would be taken up. That was the way it was played. Nobody would or could dispute the truth of Prime Minister Modi’s assertion India’s current development thrust would benefit her neigbours immensely. Sri Lanka has for long been using her location on the doorstep of the subcontinent as a major plank to attract foreign investment.

Ceylon Today Editorial

Corruption in world bodies not helping local cause

13 May 2017

Yes, the Minister of Sports spoke out recently and told the world that he is not interested in politicizing sports. He said the running of sports is in the hands of the federations or sports bodies that handle it. We have explained about how sports was run successfully by the bodies that were in charge and did justice to their responsibilities. Today, are these people who are in charge, doing a similar job? This is the sixty four hundred dollar question needing answers quickly, as sport is just hanging by rusty hinges that are likely to fall off any time.

We have spoken of sports in the days of Duncan White and Susanthika Jayasinghe and how these two were able to get those medals; both of them were part of the forces and had the facilities to get to the top at national level. From there onward, it was their own initiative that made things happen. When Jayasinghe ran there was the Sports Ministry and its officials who were in control of operations but the then Sports Minister stood by the athlete and arranged to give her the requirements to go for foreign training.

During the period when sports were not being supervised by the government servant, there was no power struggle stopping the smooth sailing of sports in Sri Lanka (Ceylon then). In the period in question world sports had not attracted sponsors to be involved; this was due to the fact, sports especially the Olympics was only for amateurs. With the improvement of communications around the world, helping sports gets on the world stage and became an attractive enough commercial venture. It was at this stage Juan Antonio Samaranch got amateurism out of the Olympics by introducing professionals into it, this benefitted the sponsors to get in with their brands donating large amounts of money for the running of Olympics. The NOCs of countries became very powerful with benefits given to them at this same period; nobody could question them. This was due to their voting rights.

This was what ruined the local sports that was under government officials; with NOC getting powerful, they too benefitted. Now, to get back to Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara's speech on not politicizing sports, he can give all kinds of statements but without the introduction of a policy, how can anyone give assurances of sports not being politicized? Although he says he will take care of the policy problem, there are delays.

Although in so many words one could also say that it is the function of the federations to run their sport as would justify it, without a policy how it can be perfected is not very clear. There are many instances of those getting elected to run these institutions holding on to power in manners that benefit them. Of course elections may be fair but once they get into their seats they begin to act as if they own the place. There has been no explanation of Aravinda de Silva's resignation, except for giving the excuse as personal reasons, leaving much grey area around it.

There are many ways of holding on to power and getting it extended with or without support from officials who are supposed to be the watch dogs of sports. For the official, one who seeks power is food for thought. Unlike in the Duncan White era, with the creation of the Sports Ministry, there are many officials who thrive on the fact that there is no policy that has given limitless benefits for their games to be played in the open.

There are ex-sportsmen who have got into the high seat of federations, but have failed to get their sport on the correct path and take it to the international as did cricket. In the Football Federation when a former player was brought in, all eyes were on him to do a better job than what had been going on for years, but alas he too realized at one stage that he had been the pawn to someone in the shadows, wanting to run the sport for whatever was worth to him.

There are many rules and guidelines in the Charter of the Olympics too, which speaks of fairness to sportspeople when running sports without political interference. But in today's context, even the professional athletes' involvement in sport keep many sportspeople away from the limelight due to the level of corruption that has engulfed the events on the international stages such as Olympics and Football World Cup. This is what gives the local minister the bailout line and the NOC is the cause of many a problem in local sports.

Daily News Editorial

End the narcotics scourge

13 May 2017

We have witnessed an alarming increase in the number of narcotics related offences in recent times and yesterday’s newspapers alone reported several incidents. In one of the most high-profile cases this year, around 200 kilogrammes of heroin worth Rs.2 billion was seized at the Anawilundawa Bird Sanctuary in the Chilaw coastal area on Thursday morning. A suspect and a Land Rover Defender were also taken into Police custody.

Police say this is the largest haul of heroin detected in Sri Lanka in the recent past. Police believe that the mastermind behind this heroin smuggling racket is the same individual behind the recent Piliyandala incident where officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau came under attack, killing one policeman. In another incident, Police found heroin with a street value of Rs.35 million in a garbage dump at Maradana, one of the busiest areas in Colombo.

These incidents expose two trends in drug smuggling. Sri Lanka is being used by smugglers as a hub – sometimes Sri Lanka is the final destination but sometimes the narcotics are bound to another destination via Sri Lanka. Preliminary investigations reveal that the 200 Kg of heroin was brought by ship from Pakistan into Sri Lankan waters, where it had been loaded to a multi-day vessel. The multi-day vessel had then transferred the haul of heroin to a day-fishing vessel which carried it to the Muthupanthiya beach to be handed over to the suspect.

The other trend is the brazenly visible nexus between the underworld and the narcotics trade. The Piliyandala shooting is a prime example for the involvement of various gangs in the illegal drugs business. Drug running is a lucrative business for organised crime gangs and also terrorist groups. A US$ 75 million shipload of tramadol, a synthetic opioid-like drug used as a painkiller to be sold to ISIS terrorists in Libya to give them greater strength, was recently seized by the Italian police. The smuggling route involved South Asia.

There is only none answer to both these trends: better intelligence, vigilance and policing. During the recent past, drug smugglers enjoyed political patronage at the highest level. That link has now been firmly severed, but it is not easy to entirely cut off the flow of narcotics given our porous maritime borders. The Sri Lanka Coastguard and the Navy cannot be everywhere as they have limited resources and even for the Indian Coastguard and the Navy which have far more resources, it is not easy to maintain 24-hour vigilance in a vast stretch of the sea. Besides, both sides also have to ensure that fishermen from both countries do not cross the International Maritime Boundary Line, which is a full-time task. However, they often manage to catch culprits despite the constraints – last month, the Sri Lanka Navy nabbed six drug smugglers.

Narcotics smugglers make use of these factors to sneak their way in. They smuggle not only drugs, but also other valuable contraband such as gold and cigarettes, but nothing beats narcotics in terms of money. South Asia has become a sort of an alternative “golden triangle” for drug smugglers. This calls for enhanced cooperation among all SAARC countries to curb the smuggling of narcotics. Sharing intelligence on narcotics smugglers is thus essential.

Border security and vigilance must be tightened. Our international airports have a good success rate in nabbing drug smugglers, but the same cannot be said about maritime entry points and borders. Any loopholes that exist in this regard must be closed by providing additional resources where possible. Most countries now depend on manned and unmanned air surveillance to gather intelligence on smugglers’ movements. Since we do not possess any specialized manned surveillance aircraft, the next best alternative is using military-grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to patrol our territorial waters. From procurement to deployment, this costs much less than operating manned aircraft. The UAVs can track any suspicious vessels in real time and ground-based controllers can alert the Navy/Coastguard to board or apprehend such vessels.

There is also a notion in society that only the “small fry” involved in the drugs trade such as street level peddlers ever get caught, while the kingpins get away scot free. It is indeed vital to net the big fish. Again, this is a matter of collecting intelligence and acting upon them. Taking action against the underworld is also vital because the drugs trade cannot thrive without their support and involvement. Any corrupt elements on the law enforcement side must also be identified.

Illicit drugs are one of the biggest problems faced by modern society. Addicts in Sri Lanka consume Rs.450 million worth of narcotics every day according to ADIC (Alcohol and Drug Information Centre). One can imagine the adverse effects of narcotics addiction on individuals, families, the wider society and the economy. After all, it is the youth in the prime of their lives who get addicted to drugs. The rehabilitation of drug addicts and the elimination of drug supplies must thus be parallel efforts. We should make every effort to save the future generations from this scourge.

The Island Editorial

Sailing between Scylla & Charybdis

13 May 2017

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have come all the way here just to switch on Vesak illuminations or open a hospital. The main purpose of his visit was to convey a message, which was loud and clear, we reckon. He declared that whether it was on land or in the waters of the Indian Ocean, the security of India and Sri Lanka was indivisible. The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government may claim that what is reflected in Modi’s message is India’s concern about Sri Lanka’s security. But, what Modi has told Sri Lanka may be paraphrased thus: ‘Be mindful of India’s security whatever you do on your soil or in the Indian Ocean.’ Viewed against India’s growing concern about the increasing Chinese presence here, Modi’s declaration may even be considered a warning of sorts.

PM Modi tried to sound very generous when he said India’s development cooperation with Sri Lanka amounted to USD 2.6 billion and ‘its only aim is to support Sri Lanka in realising a peaceful, prosperous and secure future for its people’. Only the naïve among us will believe that India is acting out of altruism to help her southern neighbour. Interestingly, no sooner had Modi uttered the aforesaid words than Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe flew to China to take part in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is obviously desperate for funds. All it receives from its international allies is moral support as well as some recognition and not the much-needed money. Therefore, the yahapalana government has been left with no alternative but to swallow its pride and grovel before China, seeking loans and investment. India has not taken kindly to China’s ambitious One Belt One Road initiative. China’s soft power project on such a scale is a worrisome proposition for India, which naturally feels concerned about Sri Lanka’s increasing dependence on China for loans and investment.

The Indian PM has said his ‘conversations’ with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have reinforced India's will to join hands in achieving their common goals. He has, however, not revealed what was discussed. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have also insisted that PM Modi’s visit had nothing to do with anything political or economic. We can’t expect them to tell us the whole truth, can we?

President Sirisena has hauled the government doctors over the coals for resorting to strikes and causing immense suffering to the sick, especially during the Vesak season. The Buddha has extolled the virtues of looking after the sick. Similarly, the Compassionate One has urged his lay followers to observe the Five Precepts. The President and the Prime Minister have categorically denied that they are planning to hand over the Trincomalee oil tank farm to India. Whether they have violated, during the Vesak season, the Fourth Precept, which forbids lying, will be seen sooner or later.

The government leaders have resorted to prevarication and obfuscation as regards the alleged moves to let India gain control over strategically important national assets of this country. Petroleum workers who recently launched a crippling strike against the handing over of oil tanks to India subsequently called off their trade union action following a powwow with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe; they claimed the PM had assured them that the government would not strike any such deal with India. But, the MoUs the governments of Sri Lanka and India signed in New Delhi one day later ran counter to that pledge.

Good diplomacy is all about the right balance. Dividing a country’s strategically important assets among world powers in a bid to appease and benefit from them is not diplomacy. Such practice is fraught with the danger of turning a country into a battleground of powerful nations. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka finds itself in that predicament.